49 Today

I can't believe I'm 49 but a fact is a fact.

It was a really beautiful sunny day and we went up to Norfolk to see a relative's paintings (lino prints, actually). But curses! 

The amateur community arts centre only opens from 10 to 1pm on Saturday. So we left and found a café in pretty Woolpit and drank tea and ate cake instead.

My pressies included some wonderful Clarks Desert Boots, a belt, a tee-shirt, Hunger Games 2, Endless Summer and Gravity on DVD and money.

We've just got back from pizza and salad and it was a lovely day.

Latin is Shit

Here's a brilliant blog post from Donald Clark. He's someone far more educated than me who argues that teaching kids Latin is a complete waste of time.

I concur.

The Saddest Country and Western Song

The saddest country and western song ever is sung over the titles of John Carpenter's sci-fi film Dark Star.

I've been humming and partially singing it for about 30 years now, and have finally discovered a full set of lyrics on the Internet (which is a wonderful thing, especially if your memory is a crap as mine). It's a song of love and loss and remembering. As you can see, it's even sadder than I thought:

A million suns shine down
But I see only one
When I think I'm over you
I find I've just begun
The years move faster than the days
There's no warmth in the light
How I miss those desert skies
Your cool touch in the night

Benson, Arizona
Blew warm wind through your hair
My body flies the galaxy, my heart longs to be there
Benson, Arizona
The same stars in the sky
But they seemed so much kinder 
When we watched them, you and I

Benson, Arizona
Blew warm wind through your hair
My body flies the galaxy, my heart longs to be there
Benson, Arizona
The same stars in the sky
But they seemed so much kinder 
When we watched them, you and I

Now the years pull us apart
I'm young and now you're old
But you're still in my heart
And the memory won't grow cold
I dream of times and spaces
I left far behind
Where we spent our last few days
Benson's on my mind

Benson, Arizona
Blew warm wind through your hair
My body flies the galaxy, my heart longs to be there
Benson, Arizona
The same stars in the sky
But they seemed so much kinder 
When we watched them, you and I